Kent Kelly reports that the group, Friends of Sleeping Bear — which is independent of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore but helps the local Park maintain amenities such as the new Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail — seeks trail ambassadors for the Trail. Friends of Sleeping Bear will hold a kick-off meeting on Thursday, May 2, at 2 p.m. at the Blacksmith Shop in Glen Haven, one mile west of Glen Arbor.
Trail enthusiasts are invited to a Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Open House on Saturday, March 2 from 10 a.m.-noon along the trail in Glen Haven. Please stop by while you are out skiing or snowshoeing to enjoy complimentary homemade cookies and sample hot chocolate from Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate.
The Detroit Free Press and other media outlets report that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded $100,000 to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to extend the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Heritage Trail an additional 4.75 miles.
The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes is grooming the existing four miles of the Sleeping Bear Heritage from Glen Arbor to the Dune Climb for classic and skate-skiing this winter. This volunteer effort allows the trail to be enjoyed year-round for outdoor recreation.
Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails, Inc. is pleased to announce the success of the Traverse City Track Club challenge match for the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. Thanks to more than 120 donors the $25,000 match was met by the Dec. 31, which secured an additional $5,000 bonus from the Club. The challenge match spurred the support needed to begin constructing the next four-mile segment from the Dune Climb to Empire this year.
The nonprofit Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes works with the management and staff of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to plan and implement projects that the National Park Service is unable to do because of limited budget or staff. This year has been a banner year in terms of volunteer hours and funds provided to the Park, reports Friends of the Sleeping Bear.
Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Traverse City Track Club issued a $25,000 challenge match for the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The trail campaign has a goal to raise $200,000 to begin constructing the next four-mile segment from the Dune Climb to Empire in 2013. There will be a bonus of $5,000 if the goal is met before December 31.
Sometime this month, the 1,364,835th visitor to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 2012 will arrive at the Dune Climb, hike to Pyramid Point, or perhaps bike the Heritage Trail and enjoy its stunning autumnal beauty. In doing so, that visitor will officially make this the busiest year ever for the Glen Arbor region, the most profitable for local businesses, and perhaps the most hectic one too.
Bill Janis, CEO of Traverse City-based Century Inc., won the Chevy Volt raffle on Saturday at Cherry Republic. The raffle was held in support of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, a multi-use and bike trail which connects the Dune Climb with Glen Arbor and will one day stretch 27 miles, from the Leelanau-Benzie County Line to Good Harbor. 1,200 tickets were sold, each costing $100, which generated $120,000 for the next portion of the Heritage Trail — the Dune Climb to Empire leg — which advocates hope will be complete by next summer.
Does Glen Arbor truly embrace bikers? These citizens on two wheels represent a growing share of our tourism pie, as northern Michigan appeals to both recreational and athletic bikers. They represent an active lifestyle that fits our outdoor attractions like a glove; they don’t clog roads or parking lots; they don’t consume fossil fuels and pollute our air, and their leisurely pace makes them ideal targets to visit and financially support our shops, galleries and eateries.